Coolest Thing About the New Segway is the Wheels

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I am bummed as all get-out that I couldn’t make it to Robobusiness in Pittsburgh this year, especially since odd bot wonders like this are showing up (pretty much unannounced on the show floor). The Segway RMP (Robotic Mobility Platform) could be a personal conveyance system, a futuristic skateboard or some sort of army workhorse (it can haul 400 pounds, after all).

The robot, which comes from the same company that brought you the Segway Personal Transporter (formerly known as “It” and “Ginger”), has four wheels, so it isn’t doing any amazing balancing tricks. The buzz in Make’s article is the wheels. Looking nothing like typical wheels, these Mecanum devices can roll in virtually any direction. That should give this movable platform a high-degree of maneuverability.

Still, questions abound:

Who will use this thing? Why isn’t there a handle or railing to hold onto for passengers? Does it work via remote control or mind control? Why didn’t the RMP get a nifty nickname?